England, Wales births decrease, deaths rise in 2013

LONDON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Births in England and Wales decreased while deaths in the same regions increased last year, according to statistics released by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.

New data shows that there were 698,512 live births in England and Wales in 2013, a decrease of 4.3 percent from in 2012.

There were 3,284 stillbirths in England and Wales in 2013, falling by 7.7 percent compared to 2012.

Meanwhile, the average age of mothers in 2013 increased to 30.0 years, 0.2 years older than the average age in 2012.

Figure released today also shows the number of registered deaths in England and Wales in 2013 was 506,790, increasing 1.5 percent compared to 2012.

It said the infant mortality rate decreased in 2013 to 4.0 deaths per thousand live births, compared to 4.2 in 2012.

Statistics show 29 percent of all deaths registered in 2013 were caused by cancer, which was the most common broad cause of death. Circulatory diseases, such as heart disease and strokes, were also major causes of death.